Kiwi - Great Spotted
Rod Morris, Crown Copyright, DoC 2004
 
Kiwi - Great Spotted
Maori Name: Roa    Scientific Name: Apteryx haastii
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45 cm; Male 2.4 kg, Female 3.3 kg. Largest kiwi. Light brownish grey tinged with chestnut, mottled or banded horizontally with white; massive ivory bill; legs dark brown; claws vary from horn to black. Juvenile has proportionately longer bill and darker legs than similar Little Spotted Kiwi. Male very loud shrill warbling whistle; female slower and lower-pitched ascending warble; calls more powerful and slower than Little Spotted Kiwi. Habitat: Native forest, scrub, pakihi wetlands and tussock grassland from sea level to subalpine, but distribution patchy. Strongholds in northwestern Nelson, Paparoa Ranges and between Lake Sumner and Arthur's Pass. Breeding: Jul-Dec.